Mason talked about the finds at Harvard's Semitic Museum, said that more investigation is required to understand the mysterious rock structures - and how old they are - but Mason is unsure whether he will ever be able to return to the ruins.

The strange formations were found around 50 miles north of Damascus. The area has been plagued by violence during the current unrest, including a massacre of 10 people in the village of Bakha north of the capital.

Research teams have been unable to return to the area since the discovery.

Mason thinks that the rock formations could date to the Neolithic period or early Bronze Age, 6,000 to 10,000 years ago.

The stones are arranged simply to stand out from the landscape - and are highly unusual because there are no signs of dwelling places anywhere.

'What it looked like was a landscape for the dead and not for the living,' Mason said. 'It's something that needs more work and I don't know if that's ever going to happen.'

Reader Comments

this info makes a body wonder...After rumors involving the military looting the museums in Iraq and Afganistan, is it possible this could be one of several reasons for this latest horrific violence in Syria?